Primary Department: Public Health Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton - Executive Director
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Grant - Award
Project ID (if applicable): FY26_CORE
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts - Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 5%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Rate is not 0% and is listed above.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request by Public Health Services for approval to accept from the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council grant funds in the amount of $250,000, with no required match, for the Community-Based Opioid Recovery Efforts (CORE) Program.
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Background and Discussion:
This initiative, led by Harris County Public Health’s (HCPH) Substance Use Program in collaboration with ACCESS Harris, aims to strengthen reentry support for individuals exiting the Harris County Jail. While ACCESS Harris currently provides early intervention and post-release case management, the reentry cohort lacks comprehensive behavioral health treatment services and access to Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), which are critical for successful community reintegration. The proposed Behavioral Health Reentry Initiative will address these gaps by leveraging HCPH’s peer recovery specialists and case management staff to provide in-person screenings for opioid use disorder (OUD), while grant funding will cover behavioral health treatment and MAT services. HCPH will coordinate with established partners-including Avenue 360, Santa Maria Hostel, UT Physicians Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic, Cenikor, Harris Center, and Harris Health-to ensure seamless access to care. Participants will also receive personalized support for appointment coordination, social service connections, and navigation of available financial assistance. This initiative implements a cross-sector recovery support model integrating MAT, behavioral health treatment, peer recovery support, and referral navigation to ensure justice-involved individuals with OUD and co-occurring behavioral health conditions are connected to timely, appropriate treatment and long-term recovery supports. It directly aligns with the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council’s goal of reducing opioid-related harms through evidence-based, community-driven approaches. HCPH’s goal is to implement a cross-sector recovery support model that advances the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council’s goal of reducing opioid-related harms through evidence-based, community-driven approaches. It integrates Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), behavioral health treatment, peer recovery support, and referral navigation to ensure justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) and co-occurring behavioral health conditions are connected to timely, appropriate treatment and long-term recovery supports.
Expected Impact:
The Behavioral Health Reentry Initiative will provide comprehensive behavioral health treatment, peer-led recovery support, and seamless access to MAT and wraparound services for justice-involved individuals at elevated risk of overdose. By implementing a coordinated, cross-sector recovery model, the initiative aims to reduce overdose risk, promote sustainable recovery pathways, and enhance long-term health outcomes. This collaboration between HCPH’s Substance Use Program and ACCESS Harris strengthens local capacity to provide evidence-based, community-driven interventions that directly support the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council’s objectives.
Alternative Options:
If approval is not granted, HCPH would forgo the CORE grant funding, resulting in lost opportunities to expand opioid recovery support for justice-involved individuals reentering the community. This would significantly hinder efforts to address the escalating opioid crisis in Harris County, where substance-involved deaths increased by 72.7% from 2018 to 2022 and substance-related healthcare visits rose by 220.9% during the same period. Fentanyl remains the most frequently identified substance in overdose deaths, with fentanyl-related fatalities increasing by 491.7% from 2019 to 2023. Without this initiative, access to critical behavioral health treatment, MAT, and peer support for high-risk populations would remain limited, undermining community-wide overdose prevention efforts.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 4. Improve physical and mental health outcomes across all communities.
County Strategic Plan Objective: O: Increase access to quality health care, including preventive and behavioral health.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): O4: Increase community health care capacity.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
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Anticipated Court Date: 2/12/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 2/12/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Erika Brown, Community Health and Wellness Division Director, Public Health Services
Attachments (if applicable): Grant Agreement, Budget